We have studied the field and temperature dependence of magnetization on ion-beam sputtered Fe/Cr multilayers. The samples were characterized by small angle x-ray reflectivity and grazing incidence x-ray diffraction techniques. The temperature dependence of the magnetization at the saturation field (Hsat) is interpreted in terms of the spin-wave theory with an additional paramagnetic contribution from the nanometer size Cr. At moderately high magnetic fields but below Hsat, an unusual increase in the magnetization with temperature, for samples of higher Cr thickness, was observed. The presence of an anomalous peak, especially for the highest Cr thickness sample at around room temperature and at magnetic fields as high as 2 T, is believed to appear as a result of an intricate competition between the Fe–Fe interlayer exchange coupling and the Zeeman energy of the outer Fe spins for the requirement of the minimum energy state.


So far, a very large amount of work in Natural Language Processing (NLP) rely on trees as the coremathematical structure to represent linguistic informations (e.g. in Chomsky's work). However,some linguistic phenomena do not cope properly with trees. In a former paper, we showed thebenefit of encoding linguistic structures by graphs and of using graph rewriting rules to compute onthose structures. Justified by some linguistic considerations, graph rewriting is characterized by twofeatures: first, there is no node creation along computations and second, there are non-local edgemodifications. Under these hypotheses, we show that uniform termination is undecidable and thatnon-uniform termination is decidable. We describe two termination techniques based on weights andwe give complexity bound on the derivation length for these rewriting systems.


Physiological biometrics technology uses various unique features of the human body to authenticate an individual's identity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of face and fingerprint biometrics using Neurotechnology's VeriLook and VeriFinger software. More specifically, the vulnerability of face and fingerprint biometrics under conditions that can potentially mislead the system will be examined. The associated Software Development Kits (SDKs) were rigorously tested and results compared with other research conducted in similar fields. A number of variables were tested as an attempt to isolate instances in which the software would be vulnerable to inaccuracy and which could lead to fraud. Based on the results possible ways to build a better system are discussed.


The present-day theorists study higher education of the disabled particularly from the perspective of social welfare and social justice. It is a new subject to carry out the study from the perspective of human capital theory. The disabled who accept higher education is an important part of the human resources, and they can create more social value to society far beyond the investment to them. That education policymakers and society think about higher education of the disabled from the perspective of human capital has an important theoretical and practical significance.


In this paper we optimized optical fiber length in WDM single pulse propagation in single mode fiber (SMF-28).Their results are calculated , tested ,and verified using Optisystem7.0 for protect licensed product based company. Only point-to-point optical fiber links are considered in this work. Due to the increasing demand for more bandwidth, optical networks are becoming more and more complex. Over the next few years the growth of existing services and the introduction of new ones will greatly increase traffic in telecommunication networks. Some services, such as normal telephony, will grow slowly, whereas newer services, such as mobile telephony, data and video traffic, will expand very rapidly. Future services will vary widely in terms of the required channel occupancy. Fiber length from (0km-120km), with (bit rate=2.5 Gb/s) are acceptable through (Q-Factor and Min-BER). From actual underground sample optical fiber link about (82km) works in Ministry of Communication in Republic of Iraq, then compares with actual, and practical results in this paper appears acceptable.


The antibacterial cationic peptides of caprine polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells have not been studied. Hence the PMN cells were isolated from whole caprine blood and the granular cationic proteins and peptides therein were extracted with 0.2 M sodium acetate buffer (pH 4.0). The extract was fractionated on a Sephadex-G-50 exclusion column (25 × 550 mm) which resolved these proteins into four major fractions. The last protein fraction which contained peptides showed the greatest antibacterial potency against E. coli and S. aureus. The results indicated that the antibacterial components were highly active at the optimum pH of 7.2 and the minimum inhibitory concentration for 2 × 106 CFU of E. coli and S. aureus as assessed from the peptides content was 10 and 20 µg respectively. The minimum incubation time required for the lytic action against E. coli was shorter than that for S. aureus. The antibacterial agent caused bacteriolysis as judged from β-galactosidase release into the medium, which indicated the increased permeability or damage to the inner plasma membrane of the bacteria.


This paper compares the channel characterizations and extends to offer predictions of channel capacity in terms of its mean, outage, and peak levels. Each is estimated from Monte Carlo simulations via a modified Saleh-Valenzuela model and directly from parameter probability distributions. Both approaches yield consistent results, which suggest that channels will typically support at least 50% more peak per-channel capacity and 30 to 45% more average per-channel capacity than single-polarized elements offer, by using independently-fed, idealized dual-polarized, collocated elements


Conjunctival melanoma (CM) rarely occurs in the Chinese population. It is found more often in the non-bulbar area with worse prognosis compared with Caucasians. No consensus is reached regarding the standard surgical treatment of palpabral CM. We presented a 39-year-old Chinese female who developed CM at her right eye, involving superonasal palpebral conjunctiva, superonasal bulbar conjunctiva and medial caruncle. We excised the lesion including underlying Tenon capsule and the main part of underlying tarsus with a maximum clear margin of 4 mm, while sparing the tarsus of the eyelid margin. We applied a hemi-depth lamellar incision on the eyelid margin tarsus to preserve the contour of eyelid. Double freeze-thaw cryotherapy was applied to the excision margin, and the conjunctival deficit was closed by an amniotic membrane graft. We provided post-operation adjuvant chemotherapy with 0.02% mitomycin C three times daily for a schedule of three weeks on, one week off. Good cosmetic outcome was achieved with no recurrence in the following 36 months. Tarsus is important in lid function and for aesthetic appearance. To achieve wide-enough safety margin and intact eyelid contour, we presented a new simple approach with good cosmetic outcome and desirable disease control in palpebral CM surgery.


Electrostatically actuated nanoelectromechanical switches based on intershell displacement mechanisms within batch fabricated, bidirectional multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) bearings are reported. Multiple devices with a 220 nm pitch are constructed within individual MWNT supermolecules. Experimental results on performance metrics including low switching voltages (0.8 to 6 V), repeatability, hysteresis, and failure modes are presented.


Urbanization is creating enormous pressure for the effective utilization of the existing land with demolition of old structures for new and modern structures. The debris produced in demolition of these structures are in large amount and disposal of this waste in sustainable manner is the biggest challenge being faced today and should be considered as a resource. With the increasing waste production and public concerns regarding the environment, it is desirable to recycle these materials. If suitably processed in appropriate industrial plants, these materials can be profitably used in concrete. This chapter highlights the composition of construction and demolition waste, the necessity for its recycling, and possibilities that can be implemented for its resourceful use, further focusing on current trends in this field by elaborating various ways to use these waste from laboratory research scale to commercially available technologies around the globe. The chapter concludes with future research directions and guidelines for sustainable use of these wastes.


The assessment of TLR agonists as promising candidate adjuvants for the induction of effective Th1 immunity continues to rely on the use of inbred mouse. However, the genetic variation among commonly used inbred mice may influence the efficacy of candidate adjuvants and bias the study conclusion. Indeed, we have found significant differences in the recruitment, phenotypes and cytokines production of DCs and NK cells and the generation of effector T cell in lymphoid tissues of two genetically non-identical mouse strains immunized with a protein based vaccine formulated with TLR agonists.

 In this study, we further evaluated the nature and amplitude of humoral immune responses of B6 and BALB/c strains immunized with protein antigen ovalbumin plus Alum, TLR3, TLR4, TLR7/8, or TLR9 agonists.

 Our data suggest that compared to the Alum, all other adjuvants induced more effectively the recruitment of B cells and production of OVA-specific antibodies in both strains. We also observed significant differences between two strains. BALB/c strain recruited less B cells but produced significantly higher amounts of IgG2a in response to any of the TLR agonists. In addition, both strains produced similar amounts of IgG1 and IgG2b in response to TLR agonist except for MPLA which induced significantly more of IgG2b production in B6 strain.

 Thus, our data suggests that genetic background should be taken into consideration when evaluating and comparing the activities of adjuvants for use in new prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. NIH-NIAID 1R03AI103750-01A1


Health behaviour was essentially a part of sociology. It has now evolved as an individual branch focusing on hu- man therapeutic care. The human behaviour or actions that have a definite impact on his health is named health behaviour. Those which complements one's health are known as positive health behaviours. The negative/altered health behaviour is considered one of the major causative factors for diseases. Alterations from the ideal health behaviour (misdeeds) are due to the wrong psychotic process. These unhealthy behaviours are usually focused on few factors like food, physical activities, sleep, sex and substance use. The positive, as well as negative impacts of behaviour on health, should be understood as part of sociology about psychology, medicine and ethics. In ancient literature, there were such descriptions of health behaviour in the form of do's and don'ts or taboos. Ayurveda considers misdeeds (prajnaparadha) as the root cause of diseases. They are happening by an unsuitable psychotic process like ignorance (unawareness), lack of control/thinking over actions or lack of remembrance. This work attempts to list out the health behaviours mentioned in Ayurveda. The ways to abstain from such misdeeds are also disclosed here.
Keywords: health behaviour, Prajnaparadha


The ortho-, meta- and para-[123I]-2-deoxy-2-N-(iodobenzoyl)-D-glucosamine (BGA) derivatives were investigated to determine the effect of iodine position and lipophilicity on tissue distribution. There was no correlation between tissue uptake and lipophilicity. Maximum uptake was observed for o-BGA displaying a heart:blood ratio of 36.0 at 18 hours post injection. Yeast hexokinase phosphorylation studies in vitro and an in vivo insulin experiment were carried out on o-BGA. No phosphorylation was detected, but the insulin study indicated that o-BGA uses the glucose transporter. o-BGA showed maximum tissue uptake in mice at an optimal specific activity of 0.004mg/μCi. Mouse biodistribution studies of o-[123I]-iodobenzamide(o-123IBA) indicated that the glucose moiety of o-BGA may be involved in the heart accumulation process in mice. Heart tissue extraction studies showed unmetabolized o-[123I]BGA, recorded at 14 hours post injection, showed significant heart uptake.


A Research Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA)


In South Korea, the construction of new multi-unit residential structures has been continuously increasing in order to accommodate multiple households in single structures. However, the presence of walls and floors shared with neighbors makes these structures exceptionally vulnerable to floor noise transmission when the noise of everyday life occurs. In particular, South Korea has many social problems associated with such floor noise, which require the utmost attention and immediate resolution. In this study, a 17-story structure was selected as a test structure. Field measurements were carried out. A numerical model for the 17-story structure was developed in order to perform a vibro-acoustic analysis. The validation of the numerical model comparing with the field measurement data results shows a good agreement. Finally, it is concluded that numerical analysis can be applied to resolve floor noise problems arising in multi-unit residential structures.


The formation of pores has been observed in epitaxial ZnO films deposited from low temperature aqueous solution when annealed at 300 °C and higher. The effects of these pores could have a dramatic impact on the ability to utilize low temperature aqueous synthesis to deposit ZnO films for optoelectronic devices. The results of thermogravimetric analysis, evolved-gas mass-spectrometry, and secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis indicate that the formation of pores is related to the expulsion of water vapor from the ZnO crystal. We propose that the pores form via the coalescence of zinc and oxygen vacancies that result from the incorporation, and subsequent removal, of a large concentration of hydroxide ions substituting for oxygen in the ZnO lattice. Despite the large change in solid volume undergone during pore formation, the ZnO films remain single phase and epitaxial and retain good electrical conductivity.


A numerical procedure for classifying individuals into leukocyte antigen groups on the basis of lymphocyte cytotoxicity tests is investigated in terms of results from classification of individuals tested in kidney transplantation research. The procedure is evaluated from results of classification of approximately 600 subjects. Consistency with results from previously used procedures is shown. Contrast of long term survivors of kidney transplants from related donors with random related pairs provides indirect indication of relevance of classification groups to kidney homograft rejection.


This research was conducted with the aim of knowing how the influence of company growth, financial condition, company size and leverage on going concern audit opinion in manufacturing sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2013-2017. The method used in this research is descriptive verification research. The population in this study amounted to 157 manufacturing sector companies in the study period from 2013-2017. The research sample was 98 companies in the manufacturing sector using purposive sampling method. Data obtained from the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The data analysis used in this research is multiple regression analysis. Analysis of research data processing using SPSS 25 software. The results of the research variable company growth have no effect on going concern audit opinion, financial conditions have no effect on going concern audit opinion, and company size has no effect on going concern audit opinion, while the leverage variable affects going concern audit opinion. Simultaneous testing shows that company growth, financial condition, company size and leverage have an effect on going concern audit opinion.


We report the case of a 12-year-old male patient who presented with a large swelling on the left side of the shoulder. In this case, we found a sunray appearance on sonography in the mass arising from the clavicle, which later proved to be Ewing sarcoma of the clavicle.


Hello everyone, A very warm welcome to the first edition of the EFRJ Newsletter for 2018! It is with great pleasure that I present this burgeoning edition of our Newsletter at a time where there is great change taking place within the EFRJ and beyond. As our Chair, Tim Chapman, notes in his 'News from the Board' and I recount in an overview of the expert meeting that took place in Leuven on the 18th December 2017, the EFRJ is shifting its focus from researching RJ to facilitating good local RJ practice and policy. This is a particularly important move given the stresses and strains that we are experiencing in Europe with Brexit looming and the influx of refugees from countries ravaged by war and terror.


With the increasing relevance of the data-centric aspects of XML, it is pertinent to study functional dependencies in the context of XML, which will form the basis for further studies into XML keys and normalization. In this paper, the XFD definition and relative notations proposed by M. Arenas et al. are introduced. Based on the definition of XFD, the inference rules for XML and logical implication is studied, and a set of inference rules, a path closure algorithm and membership algorithm are presented, and inference rules's correctness and completeness is proved.


This editorial refers to 'Worldwide experience with a totally subcutaneous ICD: early results from the EFFORTLESS S-ICD registry'[†][1], by P.D. Lambiase et al. , on page 1657

While the clinical significance of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in the reduction of sudden cardiac arrest remains unequivocal, the quest for the best implantable system continues. The first successful, yet experimental ICD system involved two electrodes between the pectoralis muscle and the rib cage, two sensing electrodes in the chest wall musculature, with a pulse generator and capacitor implanted intra-abdominally in animals.1 The first ICD implanted in a human in 1980 consisted of epicardial patches and sensing leads.2 Subsequently, the advent of transvenous ICD leads significantly reduced the morbidity of the procedure and complication rates, while improving clinical outcomes. The transvenous leads, however, came with the cost of a spectrum of vascular complications as well as design faults. Therefore, the quest for a better implantable system has continued. The totally subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD), an innovative strategy obviating the need for vascular access, has come on as a contender to fill this void.3

Evidence favouring the clinical use of the S-ICD came from the feasibility studies and European registries that preceded the Food and Drug Administation (FDA) approval of the device.3–5 Most of these studies have comprised smaller numbers with limited follow-up, calling into question the applicability of these results in real-world practice. The study now presented by Lambiase et al. ,6 reporting on early data from the multicentre EFFORTLESS S-ICD registry, provides valuable information on system performance and inappropriate shock rates. This registry is a laudable effort and comprises an observational, non-randomized, standard of care evaluation of S-ICD in countries outside the USA. The term 'worldwide experience' in the title, however, may be a misnomer, as …

 [1]: #fn-2


For Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance practitioners, understanding the game of football is not just a professional diversion, but one that can actually add professional value as well. The reason is because understanding what makes a football organization successful can also inform FCPA compliance in a business organization. This article highlights four attributes of a successful football organization that can also elevate FCPA compliance in a business organization.


This thesis is concerned with the possibilities of approximation of collective risk model with a view to non-life insurance and their closer analysis. Main attention is paid to the approximation of collective risk by the help normal distribution and shifted gamma distribution in the non-life insurance company. Calculations were performed with use of statistical computer software STATGRAPHICS Centurion XV and program Excel.


Abstract : After successful laboratory measurements of the rotational temperature T(R) of N2, O2, CO, and CO2 at atmospheric pressure and room temperature and of N2 at 296, 215, and 163 K at an equivalent room temperature pressure of 10 torr, measurements of the rotational temperature of these gases were made in the hypersonic flow field produced by either a sonic orifice or a conical nozzle expansion. Radial profile measurements of T(R) were performed at two axial positions for the N2 nozzle flow field at a reservoir pressure of 10 atm. Agreement was obtained with the electron beam results of Beylich using appropriate reservoir scaling laws. The axial variation of N2 number density was determined for the nozzle source over a range of reservoir pressures (3.3 to 10 atm), and radial profiles at two axial locations were determined for the 10- atm condition. Agreement with the MOC calculations was excellent.


"Separation of powers" means:
- "allocation of roles," assigning government power to appropriate officials and
- "checks and balances," creating mutually-restraining branches.
As the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom recognized in 2017 in the context of Brexit, British judges from the sixteenth century onwards enforced the concept of role allocation in many legal situations, including ones invalidating royal actions. The idea passed smoothly, almost silently, into American law.
Specifically, the role of the Crown was such that, as a consequence of the legal principal "the King can do no wrong," the sovereign could not cause a person to suffer a legal hardship unless it was one affirmatively permitted by law. This meant that in habeas cases, the burden of proof was on the jailer to demonstrate a right to detain the prisoner, not on the latter to demonstrate a right to freedom. Post-Independence courts acted accordingly.


The article summarizes the most important findings achieved within the scope of the project KJB 300460501 "Comparison of the quaternary development of the Novohradske Mountains and the selected parts of the Sumava Mountains" and briefly informs about the methods, which were applied during the research. In this contribution, we present the results from selected localities, namely the catchment of the Losenice River and three formerly glacial cirques, currently occupied by Prasilske, Laka and Cerne lakes.


"disintegration" are terms that have appeared regularly in discussions since at least the time of Tonnies. In the chapter "Myths of Marginality and Structures of Stability" Jackson confronts these common notions with empirical data. He argues compellingly that the results show "a dynamic framework of stability" (p. 281) that contradicts generalizations of social disruption. The data on the destinations of out-migrants reveal a pattern of return migration that attests to the strength of attachment to origins among migrants. Moreover, migrational activity tended to be concentrated in early adulthood; the other stages of the life cycle were dominated by long periods of residential stability. Alltagshistoriker will inevitably quickly point out that Jackson's structural emphasis cannot adequately capture the experiences of the individuals involved, which may well have been psychically disruptive. This is true, of course, but his approach also provides the essential framework for the interpretation of such experiences. The last chapter, "Duisburg and the German Migration Experience," summarizes the main arguments in the context of the "orthodox view of German migration." Following the densely empirical main chapters, it is a bit of a letdown, mainly reiterating the fundamental importance of internal migration in the social life of Imperial Germany. What it does not do is present a systematic comparison of the migratory experience in Duisburg and in other German cities, although there are many comparative tidbits in the footnotes. This omission is regrettable, for Jackson's knowledge of urban migration in late nineteenth-century Germany is second to none. The genre of social science history that Jackson's work represents so excellently is not much in fashion at the moment even though advances in computing technology have considerably reduced the arduousness of the approach. But lack of voguishness does not diminish Jackson's achievement. Given the paucity of German cities with equivalent source material, his Duisburg will long occupy a prominent position in the empirical study of nineteenth-century migration in Central Europe. It deserves it.


The purpose of this paper is to discuss one of the most insidious forms of prejudice race prejudice. When we refer to a person by saying he belongs to this or that race, we set him apart. If he belongs to a different race from ourselves, we not only isolate him, but also look down on him. Why do we use race as a label of inferiority and superiority? It is obvious that men vary somewhat in the color of their skin, the shape of their heads, the texture of their hair, the color of their eyes, and their stature. But this does not mean that it is an easy matter to divide mankind into separate categories, called "races." Some physical anthropologists at the present time doubt the wisdom, or the reality, of the categories they have created. They doubt the categories because too many individuals who are supposed to belong to a particular race do not meet enough of the specifications set up by the scientists for that "race." In spite of this fact the man in the street is still quite certain about being able to distinguish a white man from a Negro or a Chinese. Much less is it possible to grade-label the different "races" in a series ranging from most superior to most inferior. There may well be innate mental differences corresponding to the differences in physique. But if this is true, they are so minute that no test yet devised has turned up any significant differences that can be laid at the doorstep of physical inheritance, popular opinion to the contrary. Anthropologists have made statements to this effect in no uncertain terms. Yet statements of fact have failed to change much of popular opinion on the subject. The question is, "Why?" As soon as we ask the question, "Why do we use 'race' as a mark of inferiority or superiority?" I believe we can see that, although' race prejudice is actually recent in the world's history, its roots go very deep in the past. For men have seen differences among themselves on grounds other than race for a long time. They have disdained or persecuted groups that did not appear to have the same characteristics, whether the dis-


Based on the model of GEM and the primacy effect,this paper analyzes in-store reception,focusing on its purpose,methods and tools,and the potential problems.It concludes with the design of learning situation and the teaching procedure of in-store reception.


Leiomyosarcoma of somatic soft tissue is a rare tumor compared with retroperitoneal lesion. We report a case of a leiomyosarcoma of the somatic soft tissue in a 66-year-old man. He presented as an enlarging mass in the left thigh for eight months. Radiologic examinations revealed a well defined round mass, suspicious of benign tumor, such as hemangioma or leiomyoma. He underwent surgical resection. The mass was 3.0 cm in diameter, and it was confined within adductor longus muscle without any connection to adjacent neurovascular bundles. Histologic examination showed moderately cellularity and focal marked atypia with a fascicular growth pattern of spindle cells showing blunt ended nuclei. In addition, the proliferation index was 2~3% by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody MIB-1. But only one definite microscopic mitotic feature was found. Although it showed low mitotic activity without necrosis, this case was diagnosed leiomyosarcoma according to marked cellular atypism.


In the ancient Indian Samana philosophy schools,Jainism theory's "Seven Noble Truths" put emphasis on seven truths.This theory believes that the world consists of six fundamental factors: subtlty,time,space,movement,stillness and soul.Lokayata Four elements,Ajivikas twelve elements reflected a profound expression of the multi-realism,holographic theory and the whole emergence.The Saptabhanginaya in Syadvada of Jainism places stress on temporality,conditionality and process in the nature of things and limitation,localization and partiality in people's cognition.Such theory reveals complexity conceptions in process theory,random and indeterminism to a certain degree.Theory of cause of nature in Ajivikas and Lokayata had the complexity thinking of indeterminism and self-organization.


The essential oil from the aerial parts of Iranian and British Thymus vulgaris L. were obtained by hydro distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS). Forty two components were identified in the Iranian Th. vulgaris essential oil that represented 99.06% of the oils. The major components were thymol (60.54%), γTerpinene (9.47%), p-cymene (8.54%), carvacrol (3.33%) and Terpinolene (3.13%). In British Th. vulgaris, Forty six components were identified in essential oil that represented 99.51% of the oil. The major components were thymol (45.21%), p-cymene (12.90%), γ-Terpinene (8.07%), carvacrol (5.15%), Linalool (3.43%) and (E)Caryophyllene (2.45%). The total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of the methanolic extracts in both Thymus vulgaris, were determined spectrometrically according to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assays respectively. The highest phenol content and radical scavenging was found in Iranian Th. vulgaris compare with British Th. vulgaris. In conclusion, our study shows that both Th. vulgaris cultivated in Iran, represent good potential sources of natural phenol and antioxidants useful for either prevention or treatment of oxidative stress-related diseases.


"Spring in Connecticut is just as wild as spring in Persia," Wallace Stevens once wrote in a fit of exuberance (Letters 679). Though disappointed that the spring of 1950 wasn't as bright as he had hoped, he still felt moved to invoke his love of the exotic on behalf of his adopted state. Milton Bates, however, in considering the role of the Connecticut landscape in Stevens's poetry, argues that despite the affection revealed in the late radio script "Connecticut Composed" Stevens "Deep down . . . belonged to the wood and stone of Pennsylvania rather than Connecticut" (288). While Stevens's lingering affection for the Pennsylvania of his childhood is undeniable, Bates here confounds a somewhat sentimental love of actual scenery with the reinvention of landscape and renewal of self in the larger terms of Stevens's aesthetic. Poets of place, with whom Stevens accurately identified himself, tend to bond quickly and deeply to their immediate locales because the contemplating mind engenders the poem by reshaping, with gusto, the particular qualities of available land forms. Connecticut is an unspectacular landscape. In "Connecticut Composed" Stevens, describing a train ride across the state, finds the landscape to be minimalist, punctuated most prominently by the acts of culture, not of nature: Everything seemed gray, bleached and derelict and the word derelict kept repeating itself as part of the activity of the train. But this was a precious ride through the character of the state. The soil everywhere seemed thin and difficult and every cutting and open pit disclosed gravel and rocks, in which only the young pine trees seemed to do well. There were chicken farms, some of them abandoned, and there were cow-barns. The great barns of other states do not exist. There were orchards of apples and peaches. Yet in this sparse landscape with its old houses of gray and white there were other houses, smaller, fresher, more fastidimous. (Opus 303) The fastidious little houses thrive in this unadorned landscape much as Stevens's imagination does. Plain, unsentimental, provincial, or colorless landscapes suffice for the myth-making poet as well as, perhaps better than, settings idealized by history, ancestral piety, or unusual physical beauty. I This is one reason why Stevens's poems of Connecticut attain a mythic aura more powerful than that of Robert Lowell's early poems about Boston, for example, and resistant to the totalizing aesthetic of realism found in William Carlos Williams's poetry of industrial New Jersey and Hart Crane's urbanized epic meditations on the myth of American cultural hegemony. Geographical tropes, for romantic-modernist poets, tend to fuse the immediate with the elusive or the ineffable. The Hartford that Robert Lowell described, in reference to Stevens, as "like Boston, only worse, and more parochialized, by the insurance companies themselves" (Lowell 209), was not the Hartford of the imagination. The latter, like New Haven and the "River of Rivers in Connecticut," is a fusion, under pressure, to make what Stevens refers to in "Someone Puts a Pineapple Together" as "the total artifice [that] reveals itself / As the total reality" (Necessary 57). Stevens's philosophical bent often leads him to imitate a metaphysical argument that has usually been taken to be the subject, and, until Helen Vendler in Words Chosen Out of Desire clearly defined the passion of his language, seemed to preclude emotion as a central issue in his most important work. However, the placement of the meditative self in the landscape constitutes not only the mis en scene of the poems, especially after Harmonium, but the basic situation of metaphor, the stance in which the imagination and reality most fully engage each other. The trope of geography is not one of description but of action. …


A population of Whitethroats, breeding on the Saltfleetby‐Theddlethorpe Dunes N.N.R. at high density, was studied during 1981–90 by means of mist‐netting. The first adults returned from Africa in late April, with the majority arriving during May. Males were trapped on average eight days earlier than females, and adults of known age were caught slightly earlier on their second or later return than on their first return. Breeding commenced shortly after arrival with peak egg‐laying in the second‐half of May, declining steadily to late July. Recently‐fledged juveniles were trapped from 10 June to 1 September, with a clear peak during 16–30 June. Post‐nuptial moult commenced from late June, with most adults starting in July or early August; moult completion occurred from mid August to late September. Post‐juvenile moult commenced before completion of post‐natal growth, or very shortly afterwards, and took about 36 days. Some late‐fledged juveniles may have moulted more rapidly, retaining a higher proportion o...


The framework for higher education is laid down in the 'UK Quality Code for Higher Education. This article explains the purpose and functioning of the framework in the context of supporting the development of a Bosnia and Herzegovina Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (BHQFHE)


Aims. The purpose of this study was to develop and implement an e-learning and a blended course on undergraduate oral radiology and compare their educational effectiveness to a conventional course. Students' attitudes concerning the distance methodology (blended and e-learning) were also registered. Materials and Methods. An original course, concerning the "radiographic differential diagnosis of mixed bone lesions" was developed and implemented, and its electronic version was uploaded to an e-learning educational platform. The course was attended by three groups of final year students, who were taught by either the conventional face-to-face (23 students) or the blended learning (24 students) or the e-learning methodology (25 students). Students answered a series of questionnaires, before and after following the course, regarding their perceptions, attitudes and evaluation of the course. Additionally, they completed knowledge assessment tests and their grades (before and after the course) were compared. Educational effectiveness of the course was determined by analyzing the results of the questionnaires and the tests. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results. All students' final grades at the knowledge post-test were significantly higher than their initial ones. Blended group students performed significantly better than the conventional ones in the post-test and female students performed better than male. Students evaluated high the course content, organisation, educational material, and distance learning students additionally appreciated the course design and clarity of instructions. Students' attitudes towards blended learning were positive, but they think that e-learning is more demanding than conventional one. Students' skills, as well as their confidence in diagnosing mixed lesions, were at average levels after the course, with conventional group students having significantly lower confidence level than their colleagues. Students rated highly the instructor's cooperation, attitudes and communication capabilities. Instructor's support was rated by the two distance learning groups significantly higher than by the conventional group. Half of the students encountered technological problems. Conclusions. Under the limitations of the study, blended learning and e-learning seem effective methods, well evaluated by dental students, but their implementation in undergraduate curriculum should be based on sound pedagogical principles.%%%%Σκοπός. Να διeρeυνηθeί και να συγκριθeί η μαθησιακή αποτeλeσματικότητα τριών eκπαιδeυτικών μeθόδων - της ηλeκτρονικής μάθησης, της συνδυασμένης μάθησης και της συμβατικής διδασκαλίας - κατά τη διδασκαλία της θeματικής eνότητας «Ακτινογραφική διαφορική διάγνωση μικτών οστικών βλαβών» στους προπτυχιακούς φοιτητές Οδοντιατρικής. Υλικό και Μέθοδος. Το δeίγμα αποτέλeσαν 72 φοιτητές του 10ου eξαμήνου σπουδών της Οδοντιατρικής Σχολής Αθηνών, οι οποίοι διαμοιράστηκαν σe τρeις ομάδeς eκπαίδeυσης: τη συμβατική ομάδα (23 φοιτητές), την ηλeκτρονική (25 φοιτητές) και τη…


In this paper I will be concerned with some issues on derivational processes in Italian morphology, more specifically I will analyze the behavior of the suffix -oso which forms Adjectives from Nouns. First, I briefly discuss the limits of the Word Formation Rule proposed by Scalise, second I try to suggest a better definition of the semantics of the suffix, finally I attempt a different approach vis-a-vis the problem of polysemy in complex words. From this point of view, it is generally assumed that in derivational processes, beside the general case (i.e. the 'core', represented by the productive rule), there could be some exceptions (i.e. the 'periphery'). With regard to the Italian morphology, the majority of exceptions are considered to be relics from Latin and consequently disregarded, since a merely synchronic description is usually adopted. But one cannot ignore that the polysemy is already attested in Latin adjectives in -osus, so the main question is to investigate the original interaction between the base and the suffix. My purpose is to show that the compositional semantics of this class of complex words can be better understood by making reference to the diachronic evidence. Besides this I will explore, on one hand, the role of definiteness and of the syntactic properties regarding the base-noun, on the other hand, I will consider the domain of possessive relationships regarding the suffix


We studied laser ablation of Trp-Gly under the same experimental conditions used previously to successfully seed this fragile, nonvolatile dipeptide into a molecular beam. A film of Trp-Gly was prepared on a brass plate and laser ablated with 11 ns, 8 J/cm2, 5320 A laser pulses. We found substantial fragmentation upon ablation and believe that immediate helium entrainment is necessary to prevent decomposition. The velocity distribution is broader than a Boltzmann distribution, exhibits no flow velocity, and has a translational temperature Tt = 4200 K. The angular distribution is highly forward-peaked and bimodal with a major component proportional to cos41 θ. When laser ablated under identical conditions, tryptamine has a similar angle velocity distribution and also shows significant fragmentation. Analysis of its mass spectrum yields an internal temperature Ti = 660 K. Existing collisional models cannot explain the measured angle velocity distributions. They may result from the pulsed nature of the expan...


AbstractTransmission electron microscopy and X-ray .line profile analysis have been used to study the dislocation substr~cture of an SAP (Sintered Aluminum Powder) alloy containing 10.3 wt pct Al2O3, as-extruded and after different thermomechani cal treatments. Analysis of X-ray data indicated an essentially random dislocation configuration, even though cells or subgrains were clearly seen in the microscope. The average size of coherently diffracting domains was 800 to 1000 A°, much smaller than the cells seen by TEM. The substructure is thus visualized to consist of cells within the walls of which are very small units (domains) bounded by single dislocations. The 0.2 pct offset flow stress at 20C of the SAP in different conditions can be fully accounted for by approximately equal contributions from (a) substructure hardening, and (b) dispersion strengthening due to the oxide particles. Resume La microscopie electronique par transmission et l'analyse des lignes de profil de rayons-X ont ete employees pour...


Aiming at realization of inclined anisotropy film for high density bit patterned media, collimated sputtering was investigated for stacked films. Using an appropriate collimator diameter with oblique incidence at 60°, deflection angle of as large as 8 degrees was obtained for Co-Cr films deposited on a Ta/Pt/Ru underlayer. The angle may be increased and even a relatively small angle of around 10° is expected to increase the write shift margins of BPM. Collimated sputtering was confirmed to be useful to deposit inclined orientation films.


High energy reactions of halogen atoms or ions, activated by nuclear transformations, were studied in gaseous, high pressure and condensed phase saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, halomethanes and other organic systems in order to better understand the mechanisms and dynamics of high energy monovalent species. The experimental and theoretical program consists of six interrelated areas: (1) the reactions of iodine with alkenes and alkynes activated by radiative neutron capture and isomeric transition in low pressure gaseous systems employing additives and rare gas moderators, high pressure and liquid systems; (2) the gas to condensed state transition in halogen high chemistry, involving bromine activated by the (n,..gamma..) and (I.T.) processes in ethane was investigated in more detail; (3) systematics of halogen hot atom reactions. The reactions of /sup 80/Br/sup m/, /sup 80/Br, /sup 82/Br/sup m/ + /sup 82/Br, /sup 82/Br, /sup 128/I, /sup 130/I, and /sup 130/I/sup m/ + /sup 130/I activated by radiative neutron capture or isomeric transition in hydrocarbons and halo-substituted alkanes in low pressure and high pressure gaseous systems employing additives and rare gas moderators; (4) kinetic theory applications of high energy reactions and mathematical development of caging mechanisms were developed; (5) the sterochemistry of /sup 38/Cl substitution reactions involvingmore » diastereomeric 1,2-dichloro-1,2-difluorethane in liquid mixtures was completed, suggesting that the stereochemical course of the substitution process is controlled by the properties of the solvent molecules; and (6) the applications of high energy chemistry techniques and theory to neutron activation analysis of biological systems was continued, especially involving aluminum and vanadium trace determinations.« less


The main hero of the Köroğlu Epic, which is one of the most common epics told in the geography from the Balkans to East Turkistan and accepted as the common value of the Turkish World, is mentioned with the words Köroğlu or Goroğlu, which means "son of a blind person" or "born in a grave". The wise personality of Köroğlu's father, Mehter Alı, plays a role in the initiation of the hero in the "Mehter Alı Epic", in which the emergence of this hero, whose name is Köroğlu in Iranian Turkish narratives. In this article, which examines the signs that are considered sacred in this initiation and how the wisdom of Mehter Alı is constructed in the epic narrative, the signs of the extraordinary gained in the initiation of both the hero and his horse are exemplified in several branches of the Köroğlu Epic compiled in the same country. The initiation of the hero (UrĢan), who will be named Köroğlu in this branch, evolves as Mehter Alı, who is aware of the extraordinary powers that nature has given him, transforms his son UrĢan, who is an ordinary individual, into a hero by using his wisdom. In all stages of the hero's initiation adventure in the narrative, thanks to this wisdom of his father, UrĢan reaches to the sword (mısri sword) produced from the lightning stone, which is considered sacred in Turkish culture, the horses (Kırat and Dorat), which are the complement and most important assistant of the hero, the strategic place where he settled (Çamlıbel), and finally, the holy water (KoĢa Bulak), which he obtained his cry, the hero's most effective weapon and which helps him both in his love and in overcoming his enemy. In this study, we will examine the wisdom of Mehter Alı in the initiation of Köroğlu and the indicators that are effective in turning an individual into a hero.


The UK has a long history of coastal flooding, driven by large-scale low-pressure weather systems which can result in flooding over large spatial areas. Traditional coastal flood risk analysis is, however, often undertaken at local scales and hence does not consider the likelihood of simultaneous flooding over larger areas. The flooding within the UK over the Winter of 2013/2014 was notable both for its long duration, lasting over two months, and its spatial extent, affecting many different areas of England and Wales. It is thus apparent that to plan and prepare for these types of extreme event it is necessary to consider the likelihood of flood events arising at different locations simultaneously (i.e. to consider the spatial dependence of extreme flood events). This paper describes the application of a state-of-the-art multivariate extreme value methodology to extreme sea levels and wave conditions around the coast of England and Wales. The output of the analysis comprises a synthetic set of extreme but plausible events that explicitly captures the dependence between sea conditions at different spatial locations around the coast. These simulated extreme events can be used for emergency management and advanced flood risk analysis.


Claim forms for Winter Fuel for the UK or if you live in the EEA or Switzerland from The Pension Service, part of the Department for Work and Penisions, UK


Nowadays, Image re-ranking, as an effective way to improve the results of web-based image search. In this paper, a new technique is proposed for web-scale image re-ranking. The mentioned technique is very useful in giving specific results to users in just one click. In this, different semantic spaces for different query keywords can be found offline independently and automatically. Semantic signatures of the images are acquired by projecting their visual features into their related semantic spaces and these semantic signatures are compacted using Hashing techniques At the online stage, images are reranked by comparing their semantic signatures obtained from the visual semantic space specified by the query keyword.


Comprehension of basic stream ecosystem function relies on an understanding of aquatic–terrestrial linkages. One major component of such linkages is the incorporation of landscape-derived energy and nutrients into the aquatic food web via microbes. In many boreal streams, wetlands and alder are known to be primary sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), respectively. To simulate the influence of the highly labile portion of wetland-derived DOC subsidies on microbial production and ecosystem processes in a stream with high landscape-derived nutrient inputs, we enriched a boreal headwater stream situated in a high-alder, low-wetland cover catchment (i.e., high DIN, low DOC) with low levels (~0.25 mg/L) of labile DOC (as acetate-C) for 9 weeks. We compared nutrient uptake, bacterial biomass production, and photosynthesis of periphyton and ecosystem metabolism in physicochemically similar upstream (reference) and downstream (treatment) reaches. DIN uptake was greater in the treatment than in reference reach on six out of nine dates during the dosing period. Bacterial biomass production positively responded to C enrichment. Ecosystem respiration increased up to ~50% after dosing began. Gross primary production responded positively to DOC enrichment early in the study when riparian vegetation did not limit light availability, but negatively later on in the growing season. We conclude that even low levels of labile DOC may act as a strong subsidy to headwater stream ecosystems, particularly those with high levels of DIN inputs from alder. Headwater streams influenced by high contributions of both alder and wetlands may represent biogeochemical hotspots, and these landscape features should be viewed as vital and complementary in their roles for ecosystem function.


Schizophrenic subjects who experience delusions have been found to request less information and are more certain about the correctness of their decision than control subjects when performing abstract probability judgment tasks (Huq, Garety & Hemsley, 1988). The present study employed an inductive reasoning task using familiar contextual stimuli to investigate the strategies employed and to observe the stages in reasoning. Twelve subjects with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and experiencing delusions were compared with matched depressed patients and normal controls on a version of the "Twenty Questions Game". It was found, consistent with the earlier study, that the deluded subjects requested less information before making a decision, and produced poorer judgments. It is concluded that there exists a core deficit, independent of task or context.


Carbonate-intercalated layered double hydroxides have hitherto been thought to crystallize with rhombohedral symmetry (space group R3m). This widely accepted structure model comprises positively charged metal hydroxide layers wherein the cations are disordered. However, spectroscopic studies and simple chemical considerations militate against the possibility of cation disorder. This study shows that the observed powder X-ray diffraction pattern can indeed be fit to a cation-ordered crystal with monoclinic symmetry. With use of the carbonate-intercalated layered double hydroxide of Zn and Al as an illustration, the structure of the layered double hydroxide is refined by the Rietveld method. The resulting structure (space group C2/m, a = √3 × a0; b = 3 × a0; c ∼ c0/3; β ∼ 103°, where a0 and c0 are cell parameters of the cation-disordered structure) resolves many of the anomalies of the cation-disordered structure.


Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are important cosmological tools because of their use as standardizable candles, but the process we use to calibrate their luminosities is not perfect. Because of this, there are systematic uncertainties in our measurements of cosmological parameters such as the Hubble constant and the nature of dark energy. One of these sources of uncertainty is the evolution of SN Ia color with redshift: it is not known whether SNe Ia colors have evolved over time, or what effects (if any) intergalactic dust or high redshift dust in the host may have on the observed colors of these objects. By quantifying or ruling out any such effects, we can improve our ability to standardize SNe Ia, and improve their cosmological utility. We present archival Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observations of seven Type Ia SNe with redshifts ranging from 0.42 to 0.61. These objects were observed over a wide wavelength range with good temporal sampling, unique among high-redshift SNe Ia with HST light curves. We present VRIZJ light curves, corresponding to rest-frame UBVRI that can be directly compared with low-redshift counterparts, allowing us to quantify any evolution with redshift of the colors of SNe Ia.


In this paper, a fast, transparent, self-evolving, deep learning fuzzy rule-based (DLFRB) image classifier is proposed. This new classifier is a cascade of the recently introduced DLFRB classifier called MICE and an auxiliary SVM. The DLFRB classifier serves as the main engine and can identify a number of human interpretable fuzzy rules through a very short, transparent, highly parallelizable training process. The SVM based auxiliary plays the role of a conflict resolver when the DLFRB classifier produces two highly confident labels for a single image. Only the fundamental image transformation techniques (rotation, scaling and segmentation) and feature descriptors (GIST and HOG) are used for pre-processing and feature extraction, but the proposed approach significantly outperforms the state-of-art methods in terms of both time and precision. Numerical experiments based on a handwritten digits recognition problem are used to demonstrate the highly accurate and repeatable performance of the proposed approach.


In the present study, a method for the separation by macroporous resins of 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) from the extracts remaining from the production of camptothecin (CPT) has been developed. The adsorption/desorption characteristics of HCPT on eight macroporous resins were compared. Of these, the X-5 resin offered the best adsorption/desorption densities for HCPT, with its adsorption data being best fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Dynamic adsorption/desorption experiments were carried out in a column packed with X-5 resin in order to optimize the separation process. The optimum parameters for adsorption were as follows: sample solution concentration = 0.3156 mg/mℓ, processing volume = 5 BV (bed volume), flow rate = 4 BV/h, temperature = 313 K, pH = 5; for desorption, the corresponding parameters were: 10–60% ethanol as eluent, processing volume = 2 BV, flow rate = 4 BV/h. After being treated with X-5 resin, the content of HCPT in the dry product increased from 0.30% to 7.19%, i.e. a 23.9-fold increase when compared to the untreated extract, with the recovery yield of HCPT being 82.1%.


This article offers an overview of Serbian economic diplomacy, its aims, instruments and effects through the historical context of the complex foreign-policy and internal realities that were characteristic of the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the third millennium. The complex realities of the 1990s (the disintegration of the former SFRY, wars in the region, international sanctions, bombing, the collapse in GDP, fall in living standards and high unemployment, the collapse of the technical equipment industrial sector, unprecedented rates of inflation, among others) resulted in a thorough understanding of economic diplomacy. The research undertaken during this period point to the enormous, long-term economic price paid due to the conflict, the lack of clear definition concerning national foreign economy interests, the neglect of national companies' interests in anemic economic conditions, and the resulting breakdown of economic diplomacy.


A rat testes tubule receptor preparation has been characterized with respect to its usefulness for measurement of FSH activity in fractions derived from human pituitary glands. Highly purified human FSH, iodinated by a modification of the chloramine-T procedure, was employed as the radioligand. A series of human gonadotropin fractions were assayed in the FSH radioligand-receptor assay (RLA) and also in the Steelman-Pohley hCG-augmented rat ovarian weight gain assay (S-P assay), using LER-907 (20 IU/mg) as the assay reference preparation in each instance. The index of discrimination (ID) for a series of hFSH fractions ranging in potency from 53 IU/mg to 3608 IU/mg was 1.05. Highly purified hLH, hTSH and hCG showed 125I-hFSH uptake inhibition activity ranging from 0.9 to 3.6% that of highly purified hFSH. Significant uptake inhibition of labeled hFSH could be obtained with 2.5 ng of pure hFSH, while no uptake inhibition was seen with 10,000 ng of human growth hormone, human prolactin, ovine prolactin, ACTH ...


 Abstract — In this project, we study the application of Polymer Optical Fiber and Laser sources in High Speed Data Communication. The advantages of using multicarrier modulation schemes like Discrete Multitone (DMT) are studied. We also study the application of Reed Solomon (RS) codes for Forward Error Correction (FEC) in optics. We consider a particular RS code, RS (255,239), of length 255 and having capability to correct upto 8 errors.


Background: Testing is an essential activity in safety-critical software development, following high standards in terms of code coverage. Mutation testing allows assessing the effectiveness of testing and helps to further improve test cases. However, mutation testing is not widely practiced due to scalability problems when applied to real-world systems. Objective: The objective of the study is to investigate the applicability and usefulness of mutation testing for improving the quality of unit testing in context of safety-critical software systems. Method: A case study has been conducted together with an engineering company developing safety-critical systems. Mutation analysis has been applied to the studied system under test (60,000 LOC of C code) producing 75,043 mutants of which 27,158 survived test execution. A sample of 200 live mutants has been reviewed by the engineers, who also improved the existing unit test suite based on their findings. Findings: The reviewed sample contained 24+ equivalent mutants and 12+ duplicated mutants. It revealed a weak spot in the testing approach and provided valuable guidance to improve the existing unit test suite. Two new faults were found in the code when improving the tests. Test execution against the mutants required over 4,000 hours computing time. The overall effort was about half a person year.


In the past, insect species richness was high in Central European seminatural grasslands, which were characterized by low‐intensity land use. Currently, however, the hay in most of these grasslands is mechanically harvested, which negatively impacts insect biodiversity. One way to reduce this negative effect is to leave unmown patches as refuges. In the current research we evaluated the short‐term effects of leaving an unmown patch on the taxonomic and functional diversity of the Orthoptera assemblage in a meadow. We found that orthopteran species richness and abundance were significantly reduced by mowing, whether or not a patch was left uncut. In contrast, functional evenness, indicating distribution of species abundances in a niche space, was reduced by mowing only if the plot lacked an uncut refuge. Functional richness, indicating the amount of niche space occupied by species, was elevated if the plot had an uncut refuge. Larger species were negatively affected by mowing, while habitat specialists, mobile species and soil‐ovipositing species benefitted from it. We infer that the presence of an uncut patch increased the diversity of habitats available to orthopterans and maintained even distribution of species among niche space. In summary, leaving an unmown refuge in grasslands could increase the functional diversity of orthopterans, even if it does not preserve taxonomic diversity.


While many Buddhists are rightly committed to working in the public sphere for the resolution of suffering, there are very real incompatibilities between the axiomatic concepts and strategic biases of (the dominant strands of) both current human rights discourse and social activism and such core Buddhist practices as seeing all things as interdependent, impermanent, empty, and karmically configured. Indeed, the almost startling successes of social activism have been ironic, hinging on its strategic and conceptual indebtedness to core values shared with the technological and ideological forces that have sponsored its own necessity. The above–mentioned Buddhist practices provide a way around the critical blind spot instituted by the marriage of Western rationalism, a technological bias toward control, and the axiomatic status of individual human being, displaying the limits of social activismÕs institutional approach to change and opening concrete possibilities for a dramatically Buddhist approach to changing the way societies change. Formally established tolerance of dissent and internal critique has become a mark of distinction among contemporary societies. Indeed, with economic globalization and the rhetoric of democracy acting in practically unassailable concert, the imperative to establish and maintain Journal of Buddhist Ethics 6 (1999):154-181 Changing the Way Society Changes: Journal of Buddhist Ethics 6 (1999): 155 the conditions under which political protest and social activism are possible has become the keystone challenge to developing nations throughout Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. It is not my intention here to question the legitimacy of this challenge. The possibility of dissent is crucial to realizing a truly responsive society capable of correcting its own errors of judgement and organizational practice, and institutional changes of the sort brought about by political protest and social activism have undeniably been instrumental in this process. What I want to question are the prevalent strategies for bringing about such corrections and the axiological presuppositions on which they pivot. Although it may be true that Ònothing succeeds like success,Ó it is also true that nothing more readily blinds us to inherent flaws in the means and meaning of our successes than ÔsuccessÕ itself. Critical inattention to the strategic axioms underlying the successful engineering of political and social change might, in other words, finally render our best–intended efforts self–defeating. My thesis, then, is a disquieting one: social activismÕs successes have hinged on its strategic and conceptual indebtedness to core values shared with the technological and ideological forces that have sponsored its own necessity. That is, the same conditions that have made successful social activism possible have also made it necessary. With potentially tragic irony, social activist practices — and theory — have been effectively reproducing rather than truly reducing the conditions of institutionalized disadvantage and dependence. In a liberal democratic context, such a thesis verges on political and philosophical heresy, and if we are hard pressed to take it seriously, it is only because the positive and progressive nature of the changes wrought by social activism are so manifestly self–evident. Unfortunately, if our prevailing standards of reason and critical inquiry are not entirely neutral, the manifestly positive and progressive nature of social activismÕs history might be the result of a critical blind–spot. In that case, the ironic nature of social activist success would be effectively invisible. As a way around any such critical lacunae, I will be appealing to such core Buddhist practices as seeing all things as impermanent, as karmically configured, and as empty or interdependent. These practices and the theories adduced in their support mark a radical inversion of the critical and logical priorities constitutive of the philosophical, religious, and political traditions that have governed our dominant conceptions of freedom and civil society. By systematically challenging our bias for subordinating values to facts, relationships to the related, uniqueness to universality, and contribution to control, Buddhist practice makes possible a meaningful as-


This study reports the microfluidic preparation of monodisperse multiple emulsions using hydrodynamic control. To generate multiple emulsions, we fabricate a microfluidic capillary device based on co-flowing stream with- out any surface modification of microchannels. Based on the system, we can successfully generate multiple emulsions (W/O/W) using water containing 0.5 wt% Tween 20, n-hexadecane with 5 wt% Span 80, and 10 wt% poly (vinyl alco- hol) (PVA) aqueous solution, respectively. Furthermore, we control the number of inner droplets by modulation of flow rate of inner fluid at fixed flow rate of middle and outer fluid. The multiple emulsions having precisely controlled inner droplets' size and number can be applicable for multiple chemical reactions as an isolated microreactor.


Background: Substance Use Disorder destroys economy, health, relationships and career and has several complications including relapse that often remain untreated. The recent massive increase in drug over dose deaths and suicide from Substance Use Disorder highlights the importance of assessing suicide risk in patients receiving poly or mono substances which remains in limbo. Aim: this study aimed to investigate the relation between self-compassion on self-efficacy abstinence and suicidal behavior among patients with Substance Use Disorders. Design and participants: A descriptive correlational design was applied in the present study. This study was conducted at out patient's clinic of The Psychiatric and mental health hospital affiliated to ministry of Health and Population (MOHP). The study subject was composed of a convenience sample of 107 clients. Tools : three tools were used to collect the data for the study: Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), the suicidal behaviors Questionnaire – Revised (SBQ-R) and Alcohol Abstinence Self-efficacy Scale (AASES). Method: The actual study was including interview which lasted between 30 to 45 minutes. Each patient was approached on an individual base and interviewed in privacy by the researcher, signed the informed consent and accomplished the study tools. Results : there was a statistical significant negative correlation between self-compassion and suicidal behavior while a statistical significant positive correlation between self-efficacy and self-compassion was found. Conclusion : Higher levels of self-compassion and self-efficacy may help buffer risk of active suicide among clients with substance use disorders.


The "neglected" status given by the World Health Organization (WHO) to certain endemic tropical diseases, both human and zoonotic, affecting poor populations has resulted in the large-scale mobilisation of stakeholders and resources, thereby improving control of these diseases. Hence the proposal to also recognise as "neglected" certain animal diseases with serious socio-economic impacts on marginalised populations in the least developed countries. This process nevertheless requires prior identification of economic and social impacts, as well as of the criteria and threshold from which this recognition should be applied.


Purpose TO report a case of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) in combination with phacoemulsification and implantation of intraocular lens (IOL) (triple procedure) in a patient with Chandler syndrome. Methods A patient with visually significant corneal edema due to Chandler syndrome and cataract underwent DSAEK combined with phacoemulsification and IOL implantation (DSAEK triple procedure). Results One year postsurgery the patient's uncorrected distance visual acuity improved from counting fingers to 20/63, and the corrected distance visual acuity to 20/32. The cornea was clear with absence of corneal edema. Conclusions In the presented case, DSAEK triple procedure was an effective treatment for corneal edema secondary to Chandler syndrome in the presence of cataract.


After drought events, tree recovery depends on sufficient carbon (C) allocation to the sink organs. The present study aimed to elucidate dynamics of tree‐level C sink activity and allocation of recent photoassimilates (Cnew) and stored C in c. 70‐year‐old Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees during a 4‐week period after drought release. We conducted a continuous, whole‐tree 13C labeling in parallel with controlled watering after 5 years of experimental summer drought. The fate of Cnew to growth and CO2 efflux was tracked along branches, stems, coarse‐ and fine roots, ectomycorrhizae and root exudates to soil CO2 efflux after drought release. Compared with control trees, drought recovering trees showed an overall 6% lower C sink activity and 19% less allocation of Cnew to aboveground sinks, indicating a low priority for aboveground sinks during recovery. In contrast, fine‐root growth in recovering trees was seven times greater than that of controls. However, only half of the C used for new fine‐root growth was comprised of Cnew while the other half was supplied by stored C. For drought recovery of mature spruce trees, in addition to Cnew, stored C appears to be critical for the regeneration of the fine‐root system and the associated water uptake capacity.


After 10 years of ESA's Mars Express orbiting the planet its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) covered about 90 % of the surface in stereo and color with resolutions up to 10 m/pixel. Digital elevation models of up to 50 m grid spacing [1], generated from all suitable datasets of the stereo coverage, currently cover about 40 % of the surface [2]. The geomorphological analysis of surface features, observed by the HRSC indicate major surface modifications by endogenic and exogenic processes on all scales. Endogenic landforms (e.g., tectonic rifts, small basaltic shield volcanoes) were found to be very similar to their equivalents on Earth, suggesting that no unique processes are required to explain their formation. Volcanism may have been active up to the very recent past or even to the present, putting important constraints on thermal evolution models [e.g., 3]. The analysis of diverse landforms produced by aqueous processes revealed that surface water activity was likely episodic, but ranged in age from very ancient to very recent [e.g., 3]. Particularly important is prominent glaciation and periglacial features at several latitudes, including mountain glaciers [e.g., 3]. The identification of aqueous alteration minerals and their geological context has enabled a better understanding of paleoenvironmental conditions and pedogenetic processes [e.g., 4]. Dark dunes contain volcanic material and are evidence for the significantly dynamic surface environment, characterized by widespread erosion, transport, and redeposition [e.g., 3, 5]. Since basically all geologic interpretations of extraterrestrial features require profound knowledge of the Earth as key reference, studies of terrestrial analogues are mandatory in planetary geology. Field work in Antarctica, Svalbard and Iceland [e.g., 6] provided a basis for the analysis of periglacial and volcanic processes, respectively.


The purpose of this study is to test the growth mindset theories of high school students' grits with explanatory models. The correlational design of the quantitative research approach was used in the current study. This study consists of 35000 students studying secondary education in the city center of Konya, Türkiye. The sample of this study consists of 783 students to whom the scales were applied in the selected schools. The study results highlighted a negative significant relationship between the fixed mindset dimension of Mindset Theories, belief in invariance and procrastination sub-dimension scores of high school students, and the perseverance of effort and consistency of interest scores of their grits. The fixed mindset dimension predicts 12.6% of students' grits' consistency of interest and perseverance of effort, 3.6% of the variability in belief in invariance sub-dimension, and 17.3% of the variability in the procrastination. While the consistency of interest dimension of the students' grits does not have a significant predictor of the growth mindset dimension of mindset theories, it has a significant predictor of the variability in the fixed mindset dimension. The study found that the consistency of interest fixed mindset predicted the variability in the procrastination dimension more. It can be suggested to organize training, activities, and projects for the development of students' grit, and to test grit and mindset theories across cultures by conducting similar studies in different countries.


Seven new species of Perlomyia are described from specimens collected in Iwate Prefecture and Nara Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. A key to the Japanese male Perlomyia (P. gifuensis [Kohno] excluded), and a checklist for 18 currently recognized species are presented. Perlomyia nipponica (Okamoto) is placed as a nomen dubium.


First-principles spin-polarized density functional theory (DFT) investigations of the structural, electronic, magnetic, and thermodynamics characteristics of the half-Heusler, CoMnTe and RuMnTe compounds are carried out. Calculations are accomplished within a state of the art full-potential (FP) linearized (L) augmented plane wave plus a local orbital (APW + lo) computational approach framed within DFT. The generalized gradient approximation (GGA) parameterized by Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBE) is implemented as an exchange correlation functional as a part of the total energy calculation. From the analysis of the calculated electronic band structure as well as the density of states for both compounds, a strong hybridization between d states of the higher valent transition metal (TM) atoms (Co, Ru) and lower valent TM atoms of (Mn) is observed. Furthermore, total and partial density of states (PDOS) of the ground state and the results of spin magnetic moments reveal that these compounds are both stable and ideal half-metallic ferromagnetic. The effects of the unit cell volume on the magnetic properties and half-metallicity are crucial. It is worth noting that our computed results of the total spin magnetic moments, for CoMnTe equal to 4 μB and 3 μB per unit cell for RuMnTe, nicely follow the rule μtot = Zt − 18. Using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, which considers the phononic effects, the effecs of pressure P and temperature T on the lattice parameter, bulk modulus, thermal expansion coefficient, Debye temperature, and heat capacity for these compounds are investigated for the first time.


Background: Global tuberculosis (TB) control efforts are facing the additional challenge of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a significant public health issue that considerably determines the ongoing TB control efforts in India. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of MDR-TB among tuberculosis patients in Govt. hospital at Puducherry. Methods: The quantitative research approach was adopted for the study. Based on descriptive design the study was conducted in selected Government Hospital at Puducherry. The study was conducted among40 non-compliance TB cases. The samples were selected by using Purposive Sampling Technique. Based on structured questionnaire, the data were collected among noncompliance patient affected with tuberculosis. Results: The findings of the study reveals that there is a significant association found between patients with TB related factors with P< 0.05 such as gender in association with patient who continually lived with previous history MDR-TB and site of TB Infection during first course of treatment (0.016) and (0.0460) respectively; age in association with smear positive during first course of Treatment and habit of smoking(0.048) and (0.004) respectively, level of education and counseling given by health worker to TB patients (0.033), Occupation in association with drug side effect (Vomiting), interrupted Anti TB treatment for atleast a day and reason for interruption for atleast a day (0.027), (0.054) and (0.02) respectively. From the findings of the study to achieve the integrated tuberculosis treatment success rate as per WHO target, the obstacle as mentioned to be managed and to provide standardized facility to achieve medications and mobilization of resources for the treatment will avoid the occurrence of MDR-TB. Conclusion: India has set an ambitious goal of TB elimination by 2025. The large burden of MDR-TB will limit progress towards that goal. Rarely, does the 'prevention is better than cure' carry as much weight as it does with MDR -TB. We believe that a multipronged strategy focusing on improving diagnostic capacity, guaranteeing high-quality treatment and preventing transmission will be central to meeting the challenge of MDR-TB in India.


Operations Management (OM) plays a dual role both in Engineering and Management. This paper reveals the existence of operations with scientific perspectives and management with corporate functions. We are examining the magnitudes of complexities in operations management in terms of behavioral studies and cognitive effects. Our research methodology follows the contemporary inclusive model of corporate operations and it probes it with the tools of emerging 'Behavioral Operations Management' concepts. One of the puzzles behind the problem is to study it in shared intelligence capital needs. This study is conducted in the paradigm of observing human capital factors, shaping operations and logistics practices and using the organizational advantages to mend corporate operations. We study it through the procedures of operational rationality, ability management, strategic implementation and organizational implications of the hybrid functions. Finally, we arrive at the 'Organic Business' structure to contradict the mechanically mimicking business models. With respect to the necessity of the evolving field of 'Behavioral Operations Management', futuristic researches with huge potential of managerial implications are foreseen in this research work. This research approach offers organizations the diversified advantage of providing contextual and comprehensive behavioral practices that can be applied equally across altered backgrounds and reengineered within an overall structure.


Abstract The unique graphs with maximum distance spectral radius among trees with given number of vertices of maximum degree and among homeomorphically irreducible trees, respectively, are determined.


The mechanism of transmission in linguistic memes is discussed from the perspective of cognitive pragmatics,and it is tentatively pointed out that the transmission of linguistic memes is a process of the host's cognitive construal,resurvey and mashup by means of simulated relevant language messages,which linguistic memes may be accepted or die out in social cultural competition via subjective adaption.This research aims to fill up the gap of memes theory studies via cognitive pragmatics in order to improve and expand its theoretical system with great practical value.


It is important to the management of administrative boundary.Based on the platform of ArcGIS,the administrative boundary management system which offers the functions of quick inquires about the spatial information and attributes of the specific administrative boundary is realized by VB.NET,ArcGIS Engine and SQL Server 2005.Additionally,the relative updating,mapping and map-output functions,etc.are carried out as well.


3for all three cultivars. With an increase in moisture content, generally, there was a slight decrease in both densities. The friction coefficients against all the surfaces for Koto and Koban were similar but for Manisoba, they were significantly lower. For example, for Manisoba the friction coefficient against galvanized steel was about 0.17 compared to about 0.28 for the other two cultivars. Friction coefficients were significantly affected by the changing moisture contents. The filling and emptying angles either remained constant or increased with increasing moisture content for all cultivars. The maximum emptying angle was 26.7° at 17.9% moisture content for Koto cultivar.


This study aims to develop an E-book of basic athletic movement techniques for 5th-grade students of SD Negeri 39 Lubuklinggau City and to determine the quality of the E-book from the aspects of validity and practicality as having a potential effect. This research is development research that refers to developing a 4-D model. The instruments used to measure the quality of the developed E-book include validation sheets and practicality questionnaires with an average score of . The product of this research is an E-book of basic motion techniques for grade 5 elementary school athletics. The results showed that: (1) linguists were categorized as quite valid with a total of 0.64 media experts in the category "High enough, 0.67 in the category of "High enough" linguists, and material experts with a total of 0.74 categorized as "High Enough." (2) The practicality of the developed e-book was obtained from the teacher and student response questionnaire results (one-to-one and small-group tests). The individual test (one-to-one) results are categorized as practical with an average score of 3.2, and the results of the small group test are classified as quite practical with an average score of 3.1. In conclusion, from the results of the study, it can be concluded that the basic athletic movement technique e-book for students is categorized as valid and practical and has a potential effect for use on athletes
Keywords: E-book , movement technique, of basic athletic


The role of the axial current in nuclear muon capture is outlined. The author proposes some novel approaches to solve some of the problems in the conserved isovector current hypothesis.


These TASI lectures review the Holographic principle. The first lecture describes the puzzle of black hole information loss that led to the idea of Black Hole Complementarity and subsequently to the Holographic Principle itself. The second lecture discusses the holographic entropy bound in general space-times. The final two lectures are devoted to the ADS/CFT duality as a special case of the principle. The presentation is self contained and emphasizes the physical principles. Very little technical knowledge of string theory or supergravity is assumed.


PREMATURE INFANTS, particularly those with birth weight ~ 1 . 0 kg, frequently are given multiple red cell (RBC) transfusions early in life. During the first weeks of life, severe respiratory disease may lead to repeated blood sampling for laboratory studies and, consequently, to replacement transfusions. During later weeks, the inability to mount an effective erythropoietin (EPO) response to falling RBC values (hematocrit or hemoglobin concentration) may result in additional transfusions to treat the "anemia of prematurity." Remarkable advances that diminish acute respiratory disease (e.g., maternal corticosteroid administration, surfactant therapy for premature infants, inhaled nitric oxide for infants with severe pulmonary hypertension, and use of less damaging mechanical ventilators) have reduced the need, in some neonatal infants, for early RBC transfusions. Recombinant EPO shows promise as a means of alleviating the later anemia of prematurity. Despite these advances, anemia remains a major problem for some premature infants. Accordingly, the pathophysiology of neonatal anemia and the current status of EPO therapy for this disorder will be analyzed in this report.


The morphofunctional characteristics of the mandible gland in sheep aged from 3-5 days to 5 years have been studied. The growth dynamics of the mandible gland mass on the pattern of 26 preparations have been analyzed. Blood supply, innervation and mandible gland structure are described.


The ability to determine customer satisfaction is integral to the ultimate success of quality improvement efforts underway in many major corporations today. Developing a measurement system to determine customer satisfaction, therefore, becomes an important tool in the total quality, customer-driven management process. This article reports the development of a customer satisfaction index for a public utility, which, in addition to the measurement of the difference of importance and performance, is sensitive to customer perception of relative importance of key attributes. Changes or fluctuations in relativity of attribute performance are self-weighted by the use of customer importance in this customer satisfaction formula.


Through the comparative study of typical,we shoud treat people's mediation organization innovation practice,analyze their respective mediation studio operation mode and mechanism characteristic,explore influence the social structure conciliation studio operation,thus deepening of new mediation organizations in the period of social values,in multiplex dispute settlement mechanism and provide theoretical support of building harmonious society.


Wireless sensor network (WSN) is a network which includes spatially distributed autonomous devices using sensors to monitor environmental or physical conditions. WSN is emerging as popular and essential ways of providing pervasive computing environments for numerous applications. The sensor nodes are constrained in terms of energy and therefore energy consumption and extending network lifetime is the most challenging task. A routing protocol in WSN is enhanced to hierarchical based routing protocol because of its energy-saving capability, network scalability and network topology stabilities. In this paper we have presented various clustering approaches used in WSN. Firstly, we have classified the protocol used in Wireless Sensor Network in the form of Protocol Operation (PO), Network Structure (NS) and Path Establishment (PE). Secondly, we have provided a broad overview of the cluster based routing protocol used in Wireless sensor network in the form of block cluster, chain cluster and grid cluster. We have also compared various clustering routing protocols based on different attributes and also discussed the various issues in these routing protocols.


Objective:To investigate the health condition and features of the aged in the nursing home affiliated to hospital and get reference information for making policies on the socialization of old aged support.Methods:A general survey table designed by ourselves and ADL,GDS-15 were used to evaluate the 155 old people who were in the nursing home affiliated to our hospital during the time between Feb.2008 and Nov.2010.Then relative study had been made for one year and the final obtained data and information were statistically analyzed.Results: These old people were all suffering about three kinds of diseases(3.14±1.03).The most popular diseases are hypertension,cerebrovascular disease,diabetes,coronary heart disease and constipation.The average score from ADL when they first came here was(33.45±11.96),and 132 people were retested and got the data t=3.225,P0.01.The average GDS-15 score of 102 old people while entering nursing home was(4.14±0.77),and 90 of them were retested and got the data t=4.329,P0.01.In not more than a year,78 people left the nursing home(50.3%)and 14 people died(9.0%).Conclusions: The aged in nursing home are in poor health,and many of those are suffering serious chronic diseases or during their convalescence.So we should set up more nursing homes which can provide professional medical care.


A field experiments was conducted at Sabzevar Agriculture & Natural Resources A field experiments was conducted to study the effect of zinc sulfate foliar application on yield and yield components of sunflower, Haysun-25 cultivar ( Helianthus annuus L.) under drought stress at Sabzevar Agriculture & Natural Resources research center. This experiment was carried out (conducted, deleted) as split plot based on randomized complete block (RCB) design that main and subplot factors were drought stress levels [Non-stress, Moderate and High drought stress (6, 12 and 18 day's irrigation interval, respectively] and foliar zinc applications (0, 5, 10 and 15‰), respectively. Foliar application of zinc was performed in 6 to 8 leaf stage of sunflower. Plant height, seeds per head, hollowness percentage seeds, 1000 seed weight, grain yield and biological yield were significantly affected by drought stress. Severe drought stress decreased plant height, seeds per head, 1000 seed weight and economic yield and increased percentage of empty seeds. The highest yield and yield components were related to foliar application with 15‰ concentration of zinc sulfate and the lowest one was related to the control. However, yield response to zinc sulfate foliar application was more in non-stress condition, but zinc sulfate with 15‰ led to decrease of negative effects of drought stress. Overall, the highest yield was obtained by spraying with concentration of 15‰ zinc sulfate and non-stress condition.


Facebook's information page currently states, " People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook " (Facebook info). With a growing impact of Facebook in today's social world, it has become a prominent tool for advertisement and exposing promotional messages such as party invitations, event listings, concerts, questionnaires, and so on. Facebook equips college students with the tools to send a survey to a large number of their Facebook friends efficiently and cost free. It provides entrepreneurs with a rich environment to spread a business idea or attract customers to their online website or offline office. It allows promoters to publicize an event or product to hundreds of people with the ease of one click. Facebook's other unique features include people's ability to post or message various types of media to their friends including videos, links, photos, and so on. When sending a message or creating an event, Facebook is designed to allow the sender to pick and choose what people they'd like to send the message to. For example, when creating an event, the Facebook user can filter all of their Facebook friends by where they live or what school they attend. This is extremely useful for a college student sending a survey solely to Cal Poly students or residents of Los Osos. Overall, Facebook enables users to customize messages, select a target audience, use all forms of media, and gives the option of making these messages private or public. Due to the " billions of minutes a month " Facebook users spend on the site, combined with more than 800 million people actively participating on the site, it is a great place to introduce, expose, or suggest a product/service/idea from a specific audience. In this new and thriving social networking atmosphere, there are multiple avenues a student, entrepreneur, or promoter can suggest their product/service/idea to an audience. These avenues include Facebook Ads, Creating an Event and Inviting Facebook friends, Wall Posting, and sending Private Messages. Out of all of these options, Park 2 private messages and wall posts are the most commonly used, cost-free, and versatile avenues of Facebook advertising. Private messages are the only unpublicized messages on Facebook not including Facebook chat. They are mainly used as a personal resource for romantic flings, personal content, and so on. Wall posts, on the other hand, are public. To wall post, one has to go to their target …


In order to accurately get gear transmission system dynamic characteristics of transmission shaft for discrete processing. Numerical simulation gear meshing internal dynamic incentive, the improved gear pair of dynamic model for computing; At the same time, the simulation of rolling bearing in contact with the dynamic characteristic of the lubrication, consider the gearing mesh time-varying characteristic, the drive shaft bending-torsional coupling and supporting elastic establish single grade gear transmission prototype model. The simulation results show that different supporting conditions would lead to the simulation result differences, the elastic supporting more actual.


Let V be a complete discrete valuation ring of unequal characteristic with perfect residue field. Let X be smooth separated formal V-scheme, Z a strict normal crossing divisor of X and T a divisor of the special fiber of X. We study in this work isocrystals on the smooth log formal V-scheme associated to (X,Z) overconvergent along T.


Following a request from DG-Clima and DG-GROW, JRC launched a test-campaign in order to investigate the validity, accuracy and plausibility of the methodology proposed for the verification of the certified CO2 emissions from Heavy Duty Vehicles (aka ex-post verification methodology). In addition scope of the test campaign was to demonstrate the representativeness of the CO2 emissions calculations made by the official simulator (VECTO) by comparing against the actual performance of vehicles. Experiments were conducted on four Euro VI trucks, both on the chassis dyno and on the road with the aim of understanding the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches proposed. Two main verification approaches were investigated, steady state measurements in chassis-dyno / controlled conditions, and measurements under transient conditions on chassis-dyno and actual on-road operating conditions. The official simulation software (VECTO) was used for simulating the operation of vehicles under the different test conditions. The key conclusion of the test campaign is that an ex-post verification method which is based on transient, on-road tests is possible for trucks and comes with the advantage that it could potentially cover also other vehicle types which are difficult to be validated under steady state conditions in a laboratory or on a test track under controlled conditions. However, there is a clear need to work on the details of the test protocol to be finally implemented, define boundary conditions for transient tests on road, and establish the necessary acceptance and rejection margins for any such validation. Finally, additional testing is necessary in order to calculate accurately any systematic deviation between the officially reported, simulated, CO2 values and those actually occurring in reality. VECTO results should be periodically controlled and assessed in order to make sure that its CO2 estimates remain representative and minimize the possibility that discrepancies will occur in the future between the officially reported and actually experienced fuel consumption.


We have carried out experiments with an active plasma cathode showing the possibility of generating a modulated electron beam with a repetition rate of 2Hz without the use of a high-frequency power supply. The modulation of the beam current amplitude reaches values /spl ges/30%. This modulation is found to have a frequency of 325/spl plusmn/5 MHz for a discharge capacitor of 1nF and a duration /spl ges/1/spl mu/s. In addition, the modulated electron beam is accompanied by electromagnetic radiation with the same frequency. We suggest that this high-frequency modulation is caused by electron oscillations within the potential well which is created inside the cathode structure by the positive potential of the plasma.


In view of high order band-pass frequency selective surface(FSS) has the advantages of bandwidth controllable ∞exibility, stable performance, ∞at pass band and low insertion loss, we proposed a third-order FSS in this paper. The proposed FSS is composed of four metallic layers separated from one another by three dielectric layers. Simulated results show that such FSS has a third-order response which leads to a quite broad, ∞at and smooth pass band with very low insertion loss. Its 3dB bandwidth is up to 6.75GHz and relative bandwidth is as wide as 43%. Moreover, the FSS keep stable performance under difierent incident angles and polarization states. The FSS owns its advantages to these merits, which is suitable for modern communication, hybrid-radomes, etc.


This is the second in a pair of essays on politically motivated reasoning. The first presented a conceptual model of this dynamic: the "Politically Motivated Reasoning Paradigm" (PMRP). This essay uses PMRP to highlight a set of unsettled issues, including the rationality of politically motivated reasoning; the association of it with ideological conservatism; the power of monetary incentives to neutralize it; and the interaction of it with expert judgment.

Keywords:

politically motivated reasoning paradigm;
rationality;
ideology;
conservatism;
monetary incentive


Purpose To evaluate the correlation between the subjective visual parameters and the objective optical quality parameters, before and after the laser YAG‐Neodymium treatment in patients with posterior capsular opacification (PCO).


Machine vision is a key enabling technology in many innovative industries, such as autonomous vehicles, quality inspection, automation and vigilance. Its consistency is crucial for the development of reliable applications. One factor influencing vision systems is lighting, which should be as invariant as possible to allow for consistent image capturing. A threat to consistency is flickering. Light flickering is the high frequency variations in illumination that can happen in some AC-powered lighting systems, such as LED and fluorescent bulbs. The potential impact of flickering in the output confidence of an object detection algorithm is analysed. A neural network algorithm to detect an object under a steady DC-powered light source at 280 lumens was trained. Then, a controlled strobe light was used to assess the confidence of the same model under a pulsating light source at 50 Hz and 100 Hz, mimicking the effects of flickering. The exposure time of the camera was varied across the different frequencies to create 24,000 observations. Statistical analysis proved that flickering can significantly affect the performance of the algorithm, even when not apparent to the human eye. The rationale behind these results is explained, and good practices for setting up similar systems in industrial settings proposed.